Iran's UN Ambassador: Clooney Should Be Ashamed For Producing 'Argo'

Iran's ambassador to the United Nations had some harsh words for George Clooney and Ben Affleck this weekend.

In a taped interview that aired on CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS Sunday, Mohammad Khazaee called "Argo" weak saying, "The producer of the film that is known as ambassador of peace, as I heard, should be ashamed...I would like to invite the producer and the director of the film to travel to Iran, and when they travel to Iran, the day after they will apologize from the big nation of Iran for producing such a weak film" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

FAREED ZAKARIA, HOST: You are one of the officials who was part of starting the Iranian film industry. All of these movies that win awards many, many years ago, you were one of the guys who were funding it.

MOHAMMAD KHAZAEE, IRANIAN UNITED NATIONS AMBASSADOR: That’s right.

ZAKARIA: So I have to ask you, what did you think of the movie "Argo?"

KHAZAEE: [Laughs] Thank you very much as you rightly mention it. I was member of the [unintelligible] film jury for five years when I was in Iran. From the technical point of view, to be honest with you, if I was a judge, the movie is a very weak movie.

ZAKARIA: Weak movie.

KHAZAEE: Weak movie. I'm not saying is just really weak or is not compatible with other kind of movies which Hollywood produces, but compare to "Lincoln," compare to "Life of Pi," compare to “Les Miserables,” it did not deserve to receive Oscar prize. First of all, there are many mistakes in the movie. For instance, you are familiar with our culture. Even the producer or the director they were not familiar with Iranian culture. You know, in Iran when we want to say hello to somebody we say salaam. If we want to say goodbye we say [unintelligible] . Even the movie, they were going to say [unintelligible], they were saying salaam. So even that much, the producer or director of the movie, they're not familiar with Iranian culture.

And, to be honest with you, whoever in Iran saw the film, they felt insulted by America. It was politically wrong and technically wrong, and I think the producer of the film that is known as ambassador of peace, as I heard, should be ashamed of producing such a film that from the technical point of view, political point of view was wrong, as well as insulting a big nation like Iran. I would like to invite the producer and the director of the film to travel to Iran, and when they travel to Iran, the day after they will apologize from the big nation of Iran for producing such a weak film.

For those unaware, Clooney was named as a UN Messenger of Peace in 2008.